1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to railings and in particular, to a temporary rail and baluster support for stairways or walkways for use during the construction process.
2. Description of the Prior Art
During the course of building construction, various tradesmen may be working simultaneously within the building in their particular trade. These could be plumbers, electricians, carpenters, HVAC, etc. In a multi-story building, such as two story home, the tradesmen need access to all portions of the building in order to complete their particular tasks. Therefore the carpenters must construct the stairways and open hallways where appropriate before the electricians, plumbers and other tradesmen can properly perform their work. Typically, the finishing woodwork, and particularly the finished stair rail and balusters, would not be put in place until all of the trade work had been completed in order to prevent its being damaged during the construction phase of the house. Contractors normally do not bother to put any railing or balusters up during the construction process, however, building codes and government standards are increasingly enforcing regulations that require that a railing be constructed as soon as the stairs or the open walkways or hallways have been completed to the point that they are being used by the tradesmen.
This presents some difficulty, particularly in the high end market for homes where the stairways and hallways are constructed of expensive and/or premium woods which would be disfigured by the placement of a temporary railing system. In other words, the fastening means used for the temporary rail system may not coincide with the fastening means for the final railing to be associated with the stairway or open hallway and this would therefore detract from the hallway or stairway and would be unacceptable to the home owner who had contracted for an expensive and/or premium wood for the stairway or hallway.
Applicant""s invention provides a temporary rail and baluster support so that the temporary railing system can be positioned and secured during the construction phase and is capable of being positioned such that the securing apertures formed by the fastening means are not visible once the temporary rail support is removed in that the apertures coincide with the fastening means used to secure the finished baluster.
An object of the present invention is to provide for a novel temporary stairway rail support for erecting a temporary stairway rail during construction.
A further object of the present invention is to provide for a novel temporary stairway rail support which can be secured without marring or damaging the finished, permanent wooden stairway.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide for a novel temporary stairway rail support which can be secured without making additional bores or apertures in the tread.
A temporary stairway rail support for erecting a temporary stairway rail for use and safety during the construction phase of the building, the temporary stairway rail support having planar base member in contact with a portion of the stair tread, a depending L-shaped open stringer/riser engaging portion formed of two planar side walls having formed therein a nosing/tread edge engaging portion which is C-shaped in cross section and engages the lower face of the nosing, the outer edge of the nosing and a portion of the tread at the corner of a step above an open stringer, and a tubular upright member secured to the upper surface of the planar base member portion, said tubular upright member dimensioned to support a newel post or baluster upon which a temporary hand rail can be secured. The temporary stairway rail support can be secured to the stairs by frictional engagement or a fastening means.